Saint Livinus (''c''. 580 – 12 November 657), also Livinus of Ghent, was an apostle in
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
and
Brabant, venerated as a saint and martyr in the Catholic tradition and more especially at the
Saint Bavo Chapel, Ghent.
His feast day is 12 November.
Legend and hagiography
Details of the biography of Deventer saint
Lebuinus
Lebuinus (also known as Lebuin, Lebwin or Liafwin ''; died 775) was a medieval Christian monk who is the Apostle of the Frisians and patron saint of the city of Deventer in the Netherlands. He was born in England to Anglo-Saxon parents, date unk ...
were used to compile the ''Passio'' of St Livinus.
The legend goes that Livinus was born from Irish nobility. Upon studies in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, where he visited
Saint Augustine of Canterbury, he returned to
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. He was bishop of Dublin in 656. He later went on a ''peregrinatio Domini'' and left Ireland for
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
(Belgium) and
Zeeland
Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...
(Netherlands) where he preached. During one of his sermons, Livinus was attacked in the village of Esse, near
Geraardsbergen
Geraardsbergen (; ) is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the follo ...
by a group of pagans who cut off his tongue and head.
The villages of
Sint-Lievens-Esse, where he was murdered, and
Sint-Lievens-Houtem, where he was buried, were named after him, as well as
Merck-Saint-Liévin
Merck-Saint-Liévin (; ; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Saint-Omer. The river Aa flows through the village.
Population
Transport
The Chemin ...
in northern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
His remains were transferred to Ghent around the turn of the millennium, but went missing and are believed to have been destroyed in 1578 during the Second
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...
.
Myth or reality?
Recent research questions the existence of Saint Livinus.
There are resemblances between Saint Livinus and
Saint Lebuinus of
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...
(Netherlands), an English missionary who died in Deventer ''c''. 775 and who is commemorated on 12 November in the
Utrecht
Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
diocese. Both figures were engaged in the christening of pagans in the
Low Countries
The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
and were confronted with similar conflicts and clashes. It has been argued that monks of the Saint Bavo Abbey in Ghent, Livinus' presumed place of residence, have launched the cultus of Saint Livinus and found inspiration in the life of Saint Lebuinus.
A hagiography of the saint (edited in Migne, ''
Patrologia Latina
The ''Patrologia Latina'' (Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published betwe ...
'', 89) was formerly ascribed to
Saint Boniface
Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*On the Livinus Gospels:
** Reprinted in McGurk (1998), ''Gospel Books and Early Latin Manuscripts''. Ashgate.
**
**
External links
Website of DARCOS (Service for Archeology in Sint-Lievens-Houtem) on Saint Livinus, p. 3, 25 and 29
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livinus
7th-century Irish Christian clergy
Medieval Irish saints on the Continent
Irish expatriates in the Netherlands
580 births
657 deaths
Year of birth uncertain